The musical docuseries Brooklyn Sound is the collaboration of Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, who wrote and perform all the music featured in the series. Brooklyn Sound opened in 1974 and recorded some of the top tracks and albums of the time. The studio which is now down and out, is owned by Lucy, the daughter of the studio’s founders. The landlord is trying desperately to get re-lease the broken down space.
The series (which can be found here) contains six short episodes. Each episode covers the studio time of one unique band or artist. The genres range from hip hop to 60’s folk and each of these indie sensations have their own distinctive style and idiosyncrasies. Julia and Noel are at times unrecognizable as they change personas with each episode. They are joined by Quinn Marcus as Pam and Kathy Searle as Jillian.
The episodes take about an hour to watch from beginning to end. The situations in which Lucy and her staff (sound engineer Joel and intern Pam) find themselves with each consecutive session are hilarious and relatable, even if you don’t work in the music industry. Lucy is struggling to come up with the money to keep her parents’ legacy alive. Joel just loves the music and the history – he is also a genius with the soundboard. Pam takes off after Lucy yells at her and Lucy grows more desperate as the deadline draws near.
I encourage anyone who enjoys sketch comedy or who loves the work of Christopher Guest to click over to the Brooklyn Sound website and at least watch the first episode “Josiah and the Teeth”, I’m positive you will find yourself hooked. The combined genius of Mattison and Carey shines as they tackle the various music genres and stereotypes.
TNWU recently had the opportunity to interview Julia and Noel about this project. Our interview can be found here and provides a nice companion piece to the series.
You can follow Julia Mattison and Brooklyn Sound on Twitter